Wednesday, January 30, 2013

On Wednesday January 30, 2013, the Houston Dynamo announced that the team has entered into a multiyear partnership with Comcast SportsNet Houston (CSN).

The two sides reached a three-year agreement that will make CSN the home for regionally broadcast Dynamo matches from 2013 to 2015, which will be approximately 15 to 20 Dynamo games per season. Additionally, CSN will produce Pregame Live and Postgame Live shows, a weekly in-season magazine show, a monthly off-season show, a pre-season preview, a post-season wrap up special, and a behind-the-scenes documentary series.

“The key thing was finding a television partner who believes in the Dynamo and shares the passion and commitment for growing the game," said Dynamo President Chris Canetti. “CSN is that partner and is demonstrating its commitment through high-quality match production and an array of in-depth programming that will be rich with content and fuel discussion about the team.”

“The Dynamo’s success in MLS has been matched by a devoted and enthusiastic fan base,” CSN President and General Manager Matt Hutchings said. “We’re pleased to add their matches to our lineup, as well as give fans unprecedented access to the team with our related programming.”

As part of the agreement, the Dynamo and CSN will continue to partner with KPRC Local 2 (NBC) to air a select number of Dynamo games. The finalized broadcast schedule for the 2013 season will be announced at a later date.

“We couldn’t be more pleased that CSN and the Houston Dynamo, two of our favorite partners, have signed a three-year agreement,” said KPRC Vice President and General Manager Jerry Martin. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with both of them throughout the length of this partnership and beyond.”

CSN currently broadcasts Rockets games and will begin broadcasting Astros games this year.

“From a media and broadcast perspective, the CSN commitment is unlike anything the Dynamo has experienced in our seven year history,” Canetti continued. “It is one of the best television deals in MLS and symbolizes the incredible growth and development of our club and League.”

The first Dynamo game to be broadcast on CSN is scheduled for Saturday, March 23 when the Dynamo host the Vancouver Whitecaps at BBVA Compass Stadium at 7:30 p.m. The pre-season preview show will debut on Monday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m. The first weekly magazine show, called Dynamo Weekly, will debut on Thursday, March 7 at 4:00 p.m.

While CSN is carried on Comcast's Xfinity cable service and some smaller cable providers in the Houston area, it is not currently carried on DirecTV, Dish, or U-Verse.

Portions of the above material were taken from a Houston Dynamo press release.

On Tuesday January 29, 2013, the Houston Dynamo announced that it has joined with Newtown Kindness to become an official partner of the inaugural Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Award. In addition to becoming partners of the program, Dynamo defender Corey Ashe, midfielder Ricardo Clark and forwards Brian Ching and Cam Weaver have agreed to become spokespeople for the Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Award.

The Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Award is named in honor of Charlotte Bacon, a six-year-old girl who was killed in the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. The award is designed to encourage children from around the world to think about and perform simple acts of kindness in their respective communities. As partners of the Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Award, the Houston Dynamo and Dynamo Charities, presented by the Halliburton Charitable Foundation, are committed to using their resources to help communicate that message to the team’s fan base and to Houston-area residents.

“This is a great initiative,” said Dynamo forward Brian Ching. “It involves performing a simple act of kindness, which is something that anyone can do. I encourage all children to participate and honor Charlotte’s legacy.”

“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Newtown in early January as part of Soccer Night in Newtown event,” said Dynamo defender Corey Ashe. “While in Connecticut, my teammates and I had breakfast with the Bacon family. Charlotte sounded like an amazing girl and I’m honored to be a spokesperson for an award that honors her memory.”

The Dynamo and Newton Kindness are encouraging children to tell their act of kindness story in writing or by drawing a picture for a chance to be recognized with a Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Award. One award winner will be chosen to receive a Houston Dynamo prize pack that includes roundtrip airfare for four people to Houston, two nights in a hotel, four tickets to a 2013 Dynamo home game and $100 in concession stand vouchers.

The award is open to all children 18 years of age and younger. Entries must be received by Feb. 21, 2013 and must include a minimum donation of $5. Donations are also being accepted without an entry into the contest, with all funds going to the Charlotte Bacon Kindness Fund, a soon-to-be 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports the Sandy Hook victims’ families and memorials. Complete contest rules, including information on where to send entries, can be found at newtownkindness.org.

On the last Tuesday evening of January 2013, the United States and Canadian National Teams faced off for a friendly at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas, slogging out a 0-0 draw.

In the end, the match was a reminder of what U.S. Soccer fans should already know (though they often live in denial of it), which is that the US National Team does not have a substantial amount of depth.

Tuesday's match came at the end of what is know affectionately as "Camp Cupcake," that January US National Team camp where lots of MLS players get a chance to train together under the watchful eyes of Jürgen Klinsmann. Since the camp and the match did not fall within a FIFA sanctioned international break on the football calendar, the majority of the US's A Squad was still in Europe with their professional clubs.

In light of the lack of any real importance surrounding Tuesday's match and the fact that none of the US players really stood out with an exceptional performance, it's not worth wasting time breaking down the lackluster match. Additionally, Canada pretty much parked the bus from the beginning showing little interest in scoring a goal of its own.

Some of the players from Tuesday will likely end up on the bench in some of the upcoming CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers, but probably won't see any significant playing time till the Gold Cup this summer.

Speaking of the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers, Tuesday's match is not an indication one way or the other as to how the US is going to do. My prediction is that the US National Team will advance through the Hex to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brasil, but there will be some rough spots along the way, a loss or two while on the road. These losses will freak out many a US Soccer fan with the requisite hysterics and twitter meltdowns, but the reality is that CONCACAF is not a cakewalk, the US National Team has certain flaws - with its lack of depth being the biggest flaw - and it is irrational to assume that the US squad is going to make it through the Hex undefeated.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Ashe had surgery to address minor chronic irritation in his left kneel, while Cummings had surgery to address a right knee injury that was aggravated in training this week. The injury was originally sustained in a recent training stint with the Jamaican national team.

"It was the medical staff’s opinion that Corey and Omar should elect to undergo these minor procedures right now to avoid potential problems during the season,” said Dynamo Head Athletic Trainer Theron Enns. “The surgeries went according to plan, and we expect a full recovery for both with the goal of having them ready for opening day."

Both procedures were performed at Methodist Hospital by Dynamo team physician Dr. Kaare Kolstad. Approximate recovery time for both players is expected to be four to six weeks.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Major League Soccer held its 2013 Supplemental Draft, via conference call, on Tuesday afternoon, and the Houston Dynamo selected three players .

Houston selected defender Anthony Arena in the first round, midfielder Nic Ryan in the third round, and forward Yannick Smith in the fourth round. All three of these players will be invited to the Dynamo’s preseason training camp and given a shot at earning a roster spot.

Arena appeared in 79 games during his four-years with Wake Forest University's Demon Deacons. A native of Kenmore, Washington, Arena was selected to the All-ACC freshman team in 2009 and the All-ACC second team in 2010. He has previously received invitations to U.S. U-18s and U-20s training camps.

Ryan appeared in 79 games during his four-years at the University of California – Santa Barbara. The San Jose, California native tallied 10 goals and 4 assists for the Gauchos, including eight goals and three assists during his senior year. Ryan was named Big West Conference Midfielder of the Year and to the All-Far West Region third team in 2012.

Smith appeared in 72 games for the Old Dominion University's Monarchs. The New Jersey native scored 23 goals and added 14 assists during his collegiate career. In 2011, Smith was named an NSCAA All-American and earned All-CAA first team honors after tallying 16 goals and two assists.

The Houston Dynamo started preseason training this past Monday and will open their 2013 season at BBVA Compass Stadium on March 2 when they host D.C. United.

Individual game tickets are not yet available, but tickets for all matches can be purchased through full or partial season ticket packages. For more information visit HoustonDynamo.com or call (713) 276-GOAL.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Today, CONCACAF released the list of host cities and venues for the 2013 Gold Cup. Although Houston has played host to Gold Cup matches in past years, there is a change of venue for 2013 from Reliant Stadium to the brand new, soccer specific BBVA Compass Stadium. As of now, it's not clear what match(es) will take place in Houston, but since BBVA Compass Stadium has about 40,000 less seats than Reliant Stadium, it is likely that Houston won't play host to any of the big marquee matches this year (especially any matches involving Mexico).

While the 2011 Gold Cup decided who would represent CONCACAF in the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brasil (Mexico), there is no bigger prize by winning the 2013 Gold Cup. Combine that with the fact that World Cup Qualifiers are the priority this year, it will be interesting to see which players get their first caps, or first caps in a long time, this summer.

Here's a list of all the host cities and venues for the 2013 Gold Cup:

Familiarity with the Dynamo system and what Coach Dominic Kinnear expects from players suggests that Chabala has a good shot at making it back onto the squad. Chabala's internal drive will play a big part too, seeing that this might be one of his last opportunities to make it onto an MLS team before the start of the 2013 season.

According to Dynamo Theory, Scottish forward Callum Elliot is also on trial with the Houston Dynamo. From 2004 through 2012, Elliot was with Heart of Midlothian F.C., but spent much of that time on loans to clubs like Motherwell, Dundee, and Livingston. Most recently, Elliot was in Lithuania with VMFD Žalgiris Vilnius.

Friday, January 18, 2013

While there has not been an official statement from the Houston Dynamo, based on this tweet by Brad Davis it appears that Michael Chabala is returning to the Houston Dynamo.

The Dynamo drafted the defender in the 4th round of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, but did not make his MLS debut until 2009 against RedBull New York. Chabala ultimately made 47 appearances for the Dynamo before he was traded to the Portland Timbers in July of 2011. Subsequently, in 2012, Portland traded Chabala to D.C. United, who declined his contract option for 2013.

Since Chabala obtained free agent status after going undrafted in the 2012 re-entry draft, if the Dynamo did sign him, the Dynamo did not have to give anything up to make the deal. In light of that, along with the fact that the Dynamo need back line depth and Chabala is already familiar with Dominic Kinnear's system, this seems like a no-brainer of a preseason signing.

MLS held its 2013 SuperDraft in Indianapolis on Thursday January 17th, and the Houston Dynamo used the draft to cushion its depth on the front and back lines.

In the first round, with the 13th overall pick, the Dynamo drafted Jason Johnson, a Jamaican native who played froward at Virginia Commonwealth University. Johnson received his first cap with the Jamaican national team in February of 2010 against Argentina.

Johnson shouldn't be too homesick when he joins the Dynamo since the squad already boasts three other Jamaican players: Jermaine Taylor, Je-Vaughn Watson, and Omar Cummings.

In the second round, with the 37th overall pick, the Dynamo drafted defender Jimmy Nealis. The New York native picked up six assists for Georgetown in 2012. At 6 feet, Nealis brings some needed height to the Dynamo's defense.

The recent loss of André Hainault to the Scottish Premier League means that Nealis will have a good shot at earning some playing time this season.

While Dynamo Coach Dominic Kinnear expressed favorable opinions on how Johnson and Nealis performed at the combine, Kinnear and the Dynamo maintained the tradition of trying to draft Generation Adidas players, with both Johnson and Nealis being classified as Generation Adidas for salary cap purposes.

The Dynamo begin their preseason camp this coming Monday and then begin the 2013 MLS season by hosting D.C. United at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday March 2nd.

Dynamo full-season ticket packages start at $400 and include 20 home games. The club is also offering a new Family Season Ticket Package for the 2013 season. For every full price adult season ticket purchased for $400, fans can purchase an additional season ticket for a child 10 years or younger for just $200, located in the Texas Childrens Health Plan Family Section (Section 201). To purchase your package or for more information on 2013 season tickets, call (713) 276-GOAL.

In addition to carrying most of the Dynamo matches, which will again be called by Matt Pederson, KGOW will begin airing Glenn Davis' Dynamo All-Access Show starting at 7:00 p.m. on Monday January 21, 2013. Last month, Glenn Davis moved his Soccer Matters show over to KFNC.

The Houston Dynamo's 2013 MLS Season starts at BBVA Compass Stadium on March 2nd, when they host D.C. United. The match is set to start at 7:00 p.m. local time.

It's January, which means its that time of year when MLS players who are out of contract get the chance to seek out new work in Europe. Many of those MLS players are unable to get a contract in Europe, so they come back to MLS, but some of them get the opportunity to stay in Europe, and this year defender André Hainault is staying in Europe.

It was announced yesterday that Hainault has signed a deal with Ross County in the Scottish Premier League. While the SPL has lost a lot of its luster over the years and while Ross County was only promoted to the SPL last season and currently sits above only Dundee on the table, the reality is that not only will he make a bit more money in the SPL and get more playing time, he will also be in a position to get the attention of more scouts from England.

This is not the 26 year old Canadian's first time with a European club, before coming to the Dynamo in 2009, he was at FK Baník Most and AC Sparta Praha, both in the Czech Republic.

Although he was the Dynamo Defender of the year in 2011 and although he scored some very crucial goals for the Dynamo, Hainault saw his playing time decrease in 2012 while Jermaine Taylor and Kofi Sarkodie saw more playing time on the back line this past season. Hainault's departure will have a negative impact on the Dynamo, who tried to resign him during and after the 2012 season, since he gave much needed depth to the Dynamo's back line. As followers of MLS know, depth is a much treasured resource by MLS clubs, especially when that depth consists of players with as much skill as Hainault.

This week, the Houston Dynamo announced details for 2013 season ticket packages, which begin at $400.00. These packages will include the 17 home MLS matches and three CONCACAF Champions League matches.

New this year is a Family Season Ticket package which includes $200.00 pricing for children under the age of 10. Seats included in this package are only located in the Texas Children's Health Plan Family Section, a/k/a Section 201.

In addition to season ticket packages, the Dynamo are also offering 10-game and 5-game plans.

Full season ticket packages include perks such as playoff ticket priority, access to private events, access to the flexible ticket exchange program, and a VIP card providing discounts at the team's store and with some Dynamo sponsors.